The Trial Of Loki
by Miri1984
Summary: Post-Avengers. Loki has been taken back to Asgard and is on trial for his crimes. Will he be able to justify his actions? Or will the court of Asgard punish him for his deeds? Cover art by Yamisnuffles.
1. Prologue

"Why are you here, brother?"

"Our father…"

"_Your_ father."

"…._Our father_ thought it best not to put any others at risk with this duty."

"He thought to sway me with my supposed affection for you."

"Supposed?"

Loki smiled as he chewed and swallowed. Thor offered him another mouthful, eyeing the chains that held his hands — weapons even empty for a master magician — motionless against the wall.

"_Why_, Loki?"

"You would not understand."

"You could at least _try _to explain it to me."

The clear eyes looked upwards and his head shook, minutely. "You will hear everything at the trial."

"Are you still determined not to speak with an advocate?"

A hint of a smile then. "Who better to speak for myself than myself?" he said. The final mouthful was consumed and Thor reached down. Loki's eyebrow twitched.

"You still believe _that_ is necessary."

Thor's strong fingers hesitated, and turned the gag over once… twice… Loki's tongue darted out and touched his lips, watching those fingers move.

"I am not the fool you think I am, Loki."

There was a brief silence, then Loki grinned. "That remains to be seen."

Thor's face was troubled as he fastened the gag back in place. Loki's eyes never left his brother's face. He could feel them on his back as he turned from the cell.

"Be certain the locks are secure," he said to the guards outside.

"Yes sir!"

He glanced back once, through the bars, to see his brother was still watching him, unblinking, motionless and unreadable


	2. Part 1 Asgard

The prisoner was brought, bound, muzzled, as he had been when the brothers first arrived from their sojourn in Midgard, and led to the dais. His hands were manacled to the podium and the three masters of magic - who had been sought from far parts of Asgard to assure they had no contact with him before his crimes - were positioned surrounding him to watch for his trickster ways. Even with their presence, and the presence of the assembled warriors, and Odin on his throne, the fingers of the guard assigned to remove the muzzle trembled as they worked it free, and the assembled throng drew in a collected breath of expectation. Some no doubt expected heated words, vitriol — the more lurid imaginations probably expected fire to spew from the accused's mouth, so famous was his treachery.

Whatever they may have expected — or wished, Loki simply licked his lips and worked his jaw a few times to remove stiffness, before letting out a gentle sigh and lifting his head to the panel of citizens who had been chosen to question him. Tension eased. Whatever the trickster planned, it would not be so unsubtle as a direct attack.

On his throne, Odin waved a finger.

The clerk stepped forward. "Loki Odinson," there was the slightest lift of an eyebrow at that from the accused, and his eyes flickered towards the Allfather's throne, "you stand accused of High Treason against Asgard. Your crimes: that you did willfully and knowingly admit known enemies into her most secret places on two occasions, that you did knowingly and willingly attempt to wrest the throne from its rightful occupant, that you willingly and knowingly precipitated the Chitauri attack on Midgard and that you misused the Tesseract for your own ends."

The accused glanced down at his manacled hands. "I don't think you missed anything." His voice was soft, almost too soft for those seated near the back of the hall to hear.

"How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." This was delivered with a proud uplift of his head and a sweep of his gaze over the parts of the crowd he could see.

Most had expected the plea, but some were still surprised. "Let the plea be entered into the records."

The accused was seated, and his gag replaced without incident. The advocate for the prosecution stood, her hands steady as she scanned her documents, and started to call forth witnesses.

Sif.

Fandral.

Hogun.

Volstagg.

Heimdall.

Thor.

Odin was not called. Nor were any of the humans — the Allfather would not be so careless with the powers of the Tesseract and he had judged it not wise to expose them to the wonders of Asgard. Despite the litany of crimes Loki had supposedly committed against them, despite Thor's affection, they were not to be trusted.

This was about crimes to Asgard after all. Should the humans object to the devastation he had visited upon their city… well…

… they could come and claim him.

When the story had been laid out plain for all to see the assembled Asgardians stood agape. No one present, save the accused and perhaps Thor, had known the full details of what transpired as the Allfather lay in Odinsleep. No one had known the destruction of the Bifrost had been a means to _save Jotunheim. _

Some were angered.

"_Thor cut us off to save the _frost giants…?"

"_Would you condone the destruction of an entire race?"_

"_That race would murder us all in our beds…"_

"_We had peace for centuries before Loki intervened…"_

"_It was _Thor_ who angered them.."_

"SILENCE!"

Odin's voice rang out across the hall, and the assembled looked to find him seated further forward on his throne, his face an unreadable mask. What he thought about his son's — his _adopted _son's (that revelation had caused more uproar than any of the others) actions no one could tell, but it was clear he retained his sense of duty.

"I will not have this court reduced to the state of a common brawl," Odin continued, but his voice was calm again, and the tension eased. Such was his power — to soothe and mitigate. A voice of wisdom in a world of chaos.

The clerk rose once more. "We have heard the arguments for the prosecution. Does the advocate have anything further to add?"

"All the evidence for the prosecution has been submitted," the advocate said, inclining her head.

The clerk waited until she was seated before addressing the court. "The accused has declined the right for an advocate. He intends to speak in his own defense."

There was a murmur around the chamber. Allowing the gag to be removed for any length of time put all at risk, this was something that had been made very clear. Yet to deny the accused the right to defend himself would go against the basic tenants of Asgard.

The clerk was looking at Odin.

The Allfather inclined his head.

The clerk swallowed, but nodded and the gag was once again removed. Loki ran a tongue around the inside of his mouth, then stood.

"My thanks," he said, but his eyes did not meet that of the king and nor did the king seek them to.

"You have entered a plea of not guilty, and heard the charges and evidence against you," the clerk said. "How do you propose to answer them?"

Loki looked contemplative for a moment, eyes lowered. "I do not deny any of the events that have been related to you here today," he said. They waited. "But what I did…" he lifted his head, "I did in defense of Asgard."

It was a moment before the noise erupted, and this time it took more than the word of the Allfather to quiet it. As the noise reached a crescendo, there was a crack of lightning and the assembled turned to see Thor, Mjollnir aloft in one hand with lightning crackling over its surface.

In the shadows cast by its light, it was difficult to see whether or not Loki smiled. Certainly, there were teeth exposed.

"Loki," there was warning in the Allfather's voice, but no affection. "Explain yourself," Odin said.

A muscle worked in Loki's jaw and he nodded once. "Allfather." Loki looked like he might have wanted to pace, and his brow furrowed as he looked down at his manacled hands, then up at Odin. Odin's lips pursed and he shook his head and Loki gave a rueful shrug.

"Where to begin?" he said softly. "You have heard that I allowed three frost giants into Asgard with my magic on the night of my brother's coronation. I will… not deny that this was a foolish act." He looked around at the assembled Asgardians and his face arranged itself in to an expression of fond exasperation. "Have none of you ever wished wisdom for someone close to you? Thor is my brother and I love him dearly, yet when our father, blinded by the love he bore him, decided to bestow the throne upon him, many of us knew full well he was not ready. My actions before the coronation were simply meant as a… reminder to us all that there are some people who need guidance before they are ready to take up the burden of leadership." Thor lifted an eyebrow and Loki's lip twitched. "Despite that I knew full well the destroyer would never allow the removal of the Casket I could not have foreseen the action that Thor would take…"

"You're lying! You knew full well it would prod Thor into doing something rash!" Fandral fell silent as soon as Odin looked at him, but the question had been asked and Loki did not dodge it.

"I believed he would expose his… nature to our father. Which he did." His eyes swept over the Warriors Three, lingering on Fandral. "I did _not _believe he would convince four of his most respected _friends _to follow him on a fools' errand to _Jotunheim."_

"You went with us!" Volstagg shouted.

Loki's eyes narrowed. "Yes. And we all know how _that _turned out."

"Have some respect, Loki," Odin said mildly. "If not for your brother, then for the gravity of the proceedings."

Loki's eyes lowered. "Your pardon, Allfather."

"If it pleases the Allfather," the advocate for the prosecution stood. "I have questions to pose to the accused."

"An excellent idea, advocate," Odin said. "Carry on."

The advocate smiled and turned back to Loki. "You deceived your brother," she said. "You betrayed his plan to the Allfather."

"That I will admit," he lowered his head in what looked for all the world like humility. "I am not proud that it was necessary to betray him. Yet had I not done so, it is possible Thor would not be with us today. When the Allfather came to Jotunheim that day we were faced with the full might of Lafeuy's army. I doubt all of us would have survived."

The advocate's finger tapped at her notes. "You cannot deny that your first action — that of letting the frost giants into Asgard, was the starting point that led us to the brink of war."

"Indeed I cannot. And…" he heaved a sigh. "I _am_ sorry. But I did my utmost to prevent that war once our father had been incapacitated. And when my efforts failed, I took steps to ensure war with Jotunheim would never again be a problem."

"By using the Bifrost to destroy Jotunheim."

"The treaty was in tatters. Thor was banished. Odin was incapacitated and Asgard was under the rule of a new king. I must remind you that I had no idea my father… would trust me with the throne should he be incapacitated. That the throne fell to me after Thor's banishment was a surprise, and a burden. I did my best to live up to what was expected of me. If my actions were… unconventional… the end results cannot be…"

The advocate waved an impatient hand. "We will come to the end results. But first we must address your actions towards Heimdall…"

The trickster's lips curled in a snarl, and for the first time they had a glimpse of how close Loki was to losing control. "Heimdall openly defied me. I should not have to remind you that it was _he _who allowed us passage to Jotunheim in the first place. He skirted Odin's authority as surely as Thor and I did."

Heimdall stood next to Odin's throne, where he could be found when he was not at the end of the broken bridge. No longer the gatekeeper, but simply a watcher. If Loki's words affected him in any way he did not show it.

"Heimdall is not on trial here," Odin said mildly. Loki _glared _at him.

"I was the _rightful_ king of Asgard, _father_. The sceptre was passed to _me._ Incapacitating Heimdall was necessary. And it would have been within my _abilities_ to do more than that." Loki's eyes flickered towards Heimdall. "While we speak of treachery, I notice that _he _paid no price for openly defying the ruling king."

"It takes more than a sceptre to make a king," Heimdall's voice rumbled out. All heads turned to the keeper of the Bifrost, but his comment made, he settled back into impassivity. Loki watched him for a long moment, but was brought back to his place when the advocate spoke again.

"You concealed yourself from him when you were in Jotunheim," she said.

"Heimdall may have the power to _see_ but he does not necessarily have the ability to _understand _all he sees." Loki studied his chained hands, frowning. "Had he watched me make my deal with Laufey he would have assumed I intended treachery. Heimdall had no way of knowing that deceiving Laufey was the linchpin of my plan." Loki looked down for a moment, before glancing up towards the throne. "My mo… the Queen can confirm this."

If it were possible, Odin's face became even more stony. Frigga, seated next to him, shifted then lifted her chin and nodded to Loki, once.

"You did not attempt to explain this to Heimdall," the advocate continued. "Instead you…" the advocate's eyes slid from the accused to Thor and her mouth worked, "…_froze_ him."

"I did not have _time _to do otherwise," Loki said. One of the chained fists clenched briefly. "Heimdall had already demonstrated that he believed me false. He allowed Sif and the Warriors Three passage to earth when I had expressly forbidden it…" Loki made a visible effort to control himself, shaking his head. "Still, I cannot fault him. He did what he believed was right." Loki shrugged. "In this case he was wrong."

The advocate eyed him then her papers, before turning them. "Enough then, of your crimes against Heimdall. Shall we proceed to those you committed against your brother?"

Loki made a face and muttered something under his breath.

Whatever had happened to his sight, there was nothing wrong with the Allfather's ears. Odin thumped his fist on the arm of his throne and Loki jumped, chastened.

The advocate ignored them both. "You lied to your brother while he was a prisoner on earth."

Loki visibly gathered himself. "Had I told the truth to Thor when I visited him in Midgard he would have found some way to return to us." Loki glanced towards Frigga, "my mother said as much and I came to believe she was right. Much as I might wish for my brother's return, having him here would have put him in danger. I could not risk Lafeuy and his Giants having both Odin and Thor in reach."

"Yet Thor _did _find a way to return, despite you sending the Destroyer to stop him."

"The destroyer would have killed him."

Thor's eyes did not leave Loki's face. "The destroyer _did _kill me," he said.

"You look very alive to _me _brother."

"Is that why you ordered the destroyer to hit me while I knelt helpless in front of it?"

Loki glanced to where Sif and the Warriors Three stood. His jaw worked. "If it had not, perhaps you would not have reclaimed Mjollnir. _Brother_."

"You can't have known that."

Loki's eyebrow twitched again. "I paid close attention in _my _lessons."

Odin sucked in an impatient breath and motioned Thor back to his seat. Thor obeyed stiffly, and Loki visibly relaxed.

"You think nothing of the humans you endangered," the advocate said. "Many would have died had the Destroyer been left unchecked."

Loki shrugged. "I regret the destruction of the town. Yet there were no deaths in that instance. Thanks to my brother."

"You could not have known he would protect them."

There was a slight twitch to those lips. "I had faith in his desire to do good."

"A plan full of holes and risk," Thor said.

"As all plans are," Loki replied. "We do not win against our enemies by being _predictable _brother."

"I'm not sure they're _your _enemies at all," Sif muttered.

Loki's head whipped around to her and his nostrils flared. "You think because I share their _blood _I would betray everything I have ever known?"

Sif did not answer, simply glared at him. "Enough, Sif," Thor said. "This gets us nowhere."

Loki took a deep breath. "We should not have needed to destroy the Bifrost," he said. "Lafeuy's death and the attack on Jotunheim would have ended the war — forever."

"The cost was too high, brother," Thor said. "You do not have the right to destroy an entire race, no matter that they were our enemies."

Loki's lips worked for a moment. "I never intended to destroy all of them."

"Have a care, Loki. Or do you forget that I was _there._"

"We were a little busy at the time, Thor, if you recall. I hardly had time to explain the intricacies of my plan when I had a _hammer on my chest."_

"You _were_ going to destroy them, you said so. Do not try to deny it."

"Bah!" Loki shook himself and strained briefly against his chains. The guards surrounding him stepped forward, lowering their spears and he stilled. "You had pushed me to the edge, Thor. On the bridge I was… I knew not what I said. I had planned to give them…" Loki made a motion of his shoulders, pulling against the chains, "a scare — to show them our full power, make them rethink an attack on Asgard, but by the time we were on the rainbrow bridge I… " Loki shook his head. Some would have sworn his lip trembled. "I regret that. I was in pain, and angry. I can only be thankful that Thor managed to stop me." He glanced towards his brother. "Although I wish… I wish the price had not been so high."

The advocate looked down at her papers and took a breath. "Very well. Putting aside the events leading up to the destruction of the Bifrost… we will move to what happened after."

Loki swallowed and a shadow of pain crossed his face. "As you wish.


	3. Part 2 Midgard

"You were cast into the void. How did you survive?"

The arrogance that the accused had displayed against Heimdall and Thor seemed to bleed away. Loki looked downwards, swallowing, and his eyes were shadowed. "At first… I did not wish to." There was a murmur through the crowd as his words sunk in. Loki looked everywhere but at the Allfather's throne.

Thor shifted in his seat. All knew how much he had mourned when he thought Loki dead, despite his crimes. Frigga had not left her chambers for days. No matter his transgressions Asgard had still thought of Loki as their prince, and the thought that he had reached a state where he felt he could live no longer…

What had transpired on the bridge was not known to any but Thor, Loki and Odin. No one present could help but speculate what could possibly have swayed Loki to take such a drastic measure.

"You had no plan to survive?" the advocate's eyebrow was lifted in delicate incredulity. Loki was well known for his sense of self-preservation.

The accused shook his head. "My… the Allfather… " he took a breath and shook his head. "After the Bifrost… " he paused again and his brow furrowed. He took several more breaths, then raised his head, face smoothing, any trace of emotion removed. "No," he said simply. "I did not."

There was a murmur from the crowd. To see Loki unable to speak clearly was more than unusual. The advocate's eyebrow was still aloft, and her eyes widened in surprise at his reactions. "What happened?"

Loki squared his shoulders. "I drifted for some time. My magic sustained me for a little while but eventually I was…" he swallowed, "…found."

"By the Chitauri?"

He nodded tightly.

"What happened then?"

"I was weak and injured. The Chitauri… cared for me. They had a use for me, they said. After a time… an emissary of their leader came to me and explained that they had located the Tesseract."

"The tesseract was on earth at the time?"

Loki nodded. "And the Chitauri desired it."

"How had they located it?"

"They had an artifact…" he looked at Thor, "the spear. It was made using the tesseract. Through it, they knew that the humans had uncovered it, but they had no way of reaching earth in order to do so."

"Which is why they needed you?"

The accused nodded again. "With my magic I found a way to use the spear to activate the tesseract and open a portal. The Chitauri agreed to… help me conquer Midgard. The tesseract would be their payment."

"You admit that it was your plan to conquer the human world."

"It was... not my plan. It was the Chitauri's plan. I was compelled to go along with it."

"So you are guilty of all the crimes attributed to you!" Sif shouted.

Loki did not rise to her anger. "I am. But in this case… I was coerced." There was a pause. Loki did not raise his head, and his voice fell so the assembled had to strain in order to hear. "The Chitauri are not a gentle race, and they are powerful. Thor saw the extent of their army on Midgard — they are a force to be reckoned with. When they saved me… a connection was formed." Loki made a face and sucked at his cheek, his eyes focused on the far wall, lost in memory for a moment. "Through it we were able to communicate and they were able to… " he shuddered and stopped. "Let us say, it was not a pleasant experience. Yet it went both ways. While we were… connected, I was able to glean much of their plans for the tesseract. Should they have reclaimed it, the Chitauri would have waged war on all the nine realms. Such a thing would make our war with the Jotuns seem like children at play."

"So you decided to _help _them?" Thor said.

Loki glared at him. "I decided to do my utmost to stop them."

Thor laughed. The room knew that Odin's son had a large capacity for mirth, yet the laughter that boomed across the hall was tinged with desperation. "Your deceit knows no bounds, brother! You _led _the army that attacked Earth. _I was there."_

Loki lunged forward, his teeth bared. "You know _nothing. _As usual, …._brother. _Your ignorance will doom us all. The tesseract was on Earth and had to be reclaimed, you knew as much, it's why our father sent you to me, but the humans were building _weapons _with it, the humans — fractious and pitiable as they are, would have _waged war _with it just as the Chitauri planned to. Can you imagine for a moment, _brother,_ what the humans could have done with the tesseract, had they had more time with it? They routinely attempt to destroy their own world, with the tesseract I have no doubt they would attempt to destroy every other."

Odin had gone beyond simply thumping his chair and was on his feet, but the brothers were too involved to be stopped. No other dared come between them. The advocate shrank back, watching as they argued. Some of the gathered throng swore later that lightning began to gather around Thor's fists. "So this justifies the slaughter? Thousands _died _Loki. You had the tesseract _in your grasp _and you could have brought it back to Asgard…"

"And the Chitauri would have followed! Forgive me for not wishing their full horror unleashed on my home. _You _saw them, brother. You know what they were capable of. I _lived _with them, for _months. _Whatever I went through on Earth…" Loki shook his head. "However it _ended _it was better than what I endured in their care. No. Even if I had been able, I would have hesitated before bringing down their wrath on my own people."

"Better us than earth!" Thor said.

There was a pause as Loki studied his brother. His eyes crinkled at the corners and he leaned back, catching his breath. The shadow of a smile played around his mouth. "I wouldn't be so sure everyone here agrees with you about that." The advocate cleared her throat and Loki glanced her way, before giving a small shrug. "In any case, it was not an option. I told you the Chitauri made a connection with me. You saw what the power of the spear did to the earthlings. I had… very little room in which to plan, Thor. Had I openly defied the Chitauri they would have killed me and found another to carry out their plan. Had I failed and the Chitauri been at full strength, they would have exacted their vengeance. The only way I could be certain of the safety of Asgard was to lead them into defeat. And at least with me there, I could mould events in order to give the humans a fighting chance."

"You call what you did to the humans _a chance?"_

"Of course. I brought them together. Without my influence… your…" he looked up, thinking, "what was it you called them? Your _Avengers _would never have joined forces."

Thor sat back, mouth agape. "You would take credit for bringing us together?"

Loki smiled. "Thor, I watched you from the mountaintop. You flattened a _forest _because you could not bear to work with the one they call Stark. It took the intervention of the least of you to bring you to your senses, and how much worse would it have been had… " Loki looked a little pale "the… _others_ been present? Those fools would have spent all their time attacking each other while the Chitauri laid waste to their planet. You cannot deny it." Thor looked uncomfortable. "It is very like the humans, to have such …_resources _yet no understanding of how to use them."

Again, the advocate cleared her throat. "Enough, Thor," Odin said softly. "These are questions we all wish answered, but your outbursts do none of us any good."

"The death toll on the human world was extreme," the advocate continued, wisely choosing to ignore the exchange between the Allfather and his son. "I believe the humans wished to keep you to answer for your crimes?"

Loki spread his hands. "I doubt I will be welcome there again, advocate."

"You insist you did all in your power to limit the damage to the human population?"

"I did. I _do_ regret their deaths. But the humans are stronger now, and the Chitauri are all but destroyed. You cannot deny the realms are safer because of it." Loki's gaze swept the hall. "I will not deny that what I did was extreme, but at every point I attempted to mitigate the damage. I allowed myself to be captured before the Chitauri could force me to kill more than a few of the mortals, I left the scientist, Selvig, a measure of free will so he could find a way to close the portal, I brought the… the _Avengers_ together so they would be able to fight against the Chitauri, I did this, _all _of this, to make sure their first strike hit away from my home, and to be certain that the strike would _fail."_

There was a silence as the hall contemplated Loki's words. Some faces were set against him, but others, others held doubt and even fear. Thor had described his battles with the Chitauri. The full might of Asgard surely would have been able to repel them.

Surely.

"You said the Chitauri promised to punish you if you did not succeed in taking Earth for them," Sif said, finally, after glancing at the Allfather for permission to speak. "You put the wellbeing of the realms above your own skin, then?"

Loki's eyes narrowed. "I did."

Sif didn't say anything further, but it was clear from her expression that she thought him lying.

Loki's head tilted. "I do not doubt your lack of affection for me, Sif. But believe me when I say that even from where I stand, the prospect of the nine realms united under the Chitauri has no appeal."

"Had you succeeded on earth, you would have had your own planet to rule," Thor pointed out.

Sif nodded. "Hardly a position that lacks privilege," she said.

Loki shuddered. "Believe me, the price was not one I was willing to pay."

Again there was silence. Loki stood tense and coiled, his eyes flicking over the crowd. Perhaps he was searching for sympathy, or marking enemies.

"Have you anything to add in your defense?" the advocate said, after glancing towards the Allfather.

Loki licked his lips, then shook his head.

"I would speak," Thor said. Loki rolled his eyes, but Odin inclined his head.

"You give us a story full of holes and assumptions," Thor said. "How much do you believe we are willing to swallow?"

Loki looked at his brother for a long, long moment. "I speak only the truth," he said. "As I swore to, when this began. What I say is how things were. Should you, or the Allfather, choose not to believe me, I will face my punishment…" his lips twisted in a semblance of a smile, "as true citizen of Asgard."

Thor shook his head slowly, but sat, motioning to the guards next to the dais to replace his brother's gag. A pained expression crossed Loki's face, but he bent his head and allowed it to slip back into place. He lifted his head when it was done and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh.

The clerk rose. "The Allfather will require time to deliberate and consult with his advisors," he said. "All…." there was a boom from deep inside the palace, and a shudder ran through the building, "…rise…" the clerk trailed off as heads began turning this way and that. Thor got to his feet, looking at Loki.

The trickster's eyes were wide with fear and he began to strain against his chains.

Another boom, longer and deeper, and the room began to shake. Lights flickered and some of the crowd began to push towards the doors.

A lone guard fought his way towards Odin against the push of the crowd. "My leige!"

"Let him pass!" Odin cried. The crowd parted, allowing the guard to reach the throne where he knelt. "The tesseract, it has activated!"

Odin's eye flashed and he rounded on the accused. "Loki, What have you done?


	4. Part 3 The Void

Another boom, and a far more violent shudder. Voices rose in alarm and the Allfather motioned to his guards. "Find out what is happening!" he said.

The prisoner's head was thrown back, veins stood out on his neck as he strained against his bonds. There was a green tinge to his skin and his eyes were wild.

"What is happening?"

Through the gag the gathered asgardians could hear his mewls of pain — restricted, contained, and somehow more gut wrenching for it. The skin on his wrists began to chafe against the metal of his chains and he fell to his knees.

"He is unwell!" Thor made to leap forward, but the brown hand of Hogun stopped him.

"Ware, Thor. This is more of Loki's trickery."

"Have you no heart?" Frigga's voice cut through the mutterings, and the queen of Asgard knelt next to the man whom everyone had thought to be her son. "He is hurting. Remove the gag."

"Your majesty…"

"Oh for the sake of all that is holy…" She reached up herself and snapped the cord on the gag, then unlatched the chains from his dais. Loki crumpled to the floor, and Frigga went with him, cradling his head in her hands and staring into eyes that were wide with fear and pain.

He gasped. "Mother…"

"Loki…."

"The Chitauri…"

She brushed hair from his forehead and cupped his cheek in her hand. "They cannot come to you here, Loki. Do not fear."

"'Tis too late," he said. "They are already upon us."

Fandral drew his sword. "What further treachery, Loki?"

Loki snarled at him. "Fool! They do not come to attack _you, _nor to they come to _free me," _spittle flew from the accused's lips and he moved his gaze from Fandral to his brother. His back arched with another wave of pain and he held his manacled hands to his head. "They come to claim me," he said when the fit had passed, head bowed almost to the floor. Thor had to lean close to hear his next words at all. "Did you not hear me? _I failed."_

Thor was the only person present who had seen the Chitauri in action. He locked eyes with his brother for a long moment. "We must prepare to fight," he said finally. "Take Loki to his cell."

"No!" Loki said. "If you hand me to them, they will leave you be. They are not fools enough to challenge you, weakened as they are."

Thor's mouth twisted into an incredulous line. "Brother you outdo yourself. Do you take us all for fools? They will free you."

"Thor _please." _His voice throbbed with pain and remembered pain and Thor flinched, but Odin's eyebrow lifted and Thor remembered that moment, on Earth, in the chamber they had built to hold a monster as the glass of the cell door shut upon him.

_Are you ever not going to fall for that?_

Thor's jaw clenched and he shook his head. "No, Loki." He turned towards his father.

Odin was on his feet, looking at his sons. For a moment, Loki kept his gaze on Thor's back, but as his brother started giving orders to the soldiers around him he looked down and shook his head. "So be it," he said softly.

Thor's head whipped back around and he started forward, but he was distracted as the edge of the throne room shivered as the portal began to open. "Guard it!" Thor shouted. "Don't let Loki near it!". Wind whipped through the room, people were shouting and stumbling away from the abyss, but the guards were together enough to run to the portal and block it from the prisoner.

On the floor, Loki started to laugh.

Thor scowled down at him. "Brother, what have you done?" Loki shook his head and struggled to his feet. Frigga put one hand on his arm and he covered it with his own, squeezing it once, before firmly putting it aside. "I told the truth, Thor," he said, and shrugged. "I suppose that will count for something. Eventually." He smiled crookedly and stepped back from his mother. The room shook again, far more violently this time. "Last time this happened it left a crater several miles around," Loki said, one eyebrow lifting as he continued to step backwards. "You might want to consider clearing the building, it's what I'd do." He flexed his hands as though they pained him.

"The gag!" Sif shouted. "He gathers magic!"

Heimdall roared, lunging forward and drawing his sword, but Loki simply grinned and stepped aside.

"They will ask you where I have gone," he said, as Heimdall turned back, ponderous and slow for all his power. "Tell them…" he smiled again. "Tell them whatever you want." There was a twist in the air and Loki was suddenly gone, a low chuckle in the air and the tinkle of the chains that had bound him hitting the floor the only hint that he had even been present.

"_Loki!" _Thor's voice throbbed through the throne room, but Odin laid a hand on his arm.

"We have other things to worry about, my son," he said. The portal stuttered and snapped shut suddenly, leaving behind a single figure.

Of the people present, only Thor had seen the Chitauri, and he had only seen their warriors. The figure who knelt on the floor in front of them was no warrior. He was all angles and gaunt paleness, a frog of a thing. When he looked up, gasping, they saw he was masked, only a withered mouth lined with teeth visible.

Most who were present were happy they could see no more.

The guards lowered their spears until the visitor was ringed in gold. He made a small movement of his head as his breathing slowed, recovering from the stress of his journey.

"Where?" he croaked out.

Odin nodded to Thor, who strode forward, hefting Mjollnir in one hand.

"You are in the hall of Odin, in the realm of Asgard, Chitauri. As I suspect you well know."

A dry chuckle escaped the creature's mouth that turned into coughing. "….Indeed." He lifted his head and looked at the assembled. "He is gone, then?"

"Do you speak of Loki?"

The visitor's mouth curled in what looked like a sneer. "That was his name."

"Why do you seek him?"

"My master would have words with him."

"Loki is beyond your reach, Chitauri," Odin stepped forward and Thor moved aside.

The Chitauri chuckled again. "I think not," he said. "My master wishes to deliver a message to you, Asgardians." Strength seemed to be returning to the Chitauri, and he gained his feet, standing taller than they had expected, more proud.

Odin lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The Chitauri nodded. "Hand over the failure for his punishment. Or suffer our wrath." There was a small silence as the Chitauri's words sunk in, then Thor threw back his head, and laughed.

The Chitauri's turned his gaze on him, hissing. "You dare mock me?"

"I have fought your people," Thor said, leaning forward. "Fought them and defeated them. Your army lies in tatters, your strength diminished." Thor spread his hands. "This is _Asgard, _not earth. You could not hope to threaten our might and yet you dare to come here and make _demands?"_

Odin held up his hand and Thor subsided.

"Do not presume to know our strength," the Chitauri said, looking from Thor to Odin and back. "The humans dealt a small blow against our armada. It can be rebuilt easily enough."

"Empty threats!" Volstagg shouted.

Hogun nodded. "If you are so strong, why not simply attack?"

The Chitauri hissed again as the throne room started to shake once more. Power gathered behind the visitor. "If you deliver Loki to us, we will be merciful. Should you keep him," the Chitauri shrugged and spread his hands, "it will not go well for you." He stepped backwards into the suddenly open portal. The guards moved to follow, but Odin shook his head.

"Let him be," he said. "He is a messenger only."

The portal snapped shut and the palace gave one final shudder. Odin stood staring at the place where the Chitauri had stood for a long moment, before turning on his heel and stalking from the room.

Thor was left in a rapidly dwindling circle of Asgardians. The hall emptied quickly, no one was willing to stay close to the source of so much magic and mayhem. Sif and the Warriors Three congregated near the site where the portal had appeared, while Thor stood, deep in thought, at the dais that had until recently held his brother.

He ran his fingers over the slots that had held his brother's chains. "Loki told us the truth," he said.

"He can't have expected us to believe him," Volstagg said. "Seriously. As though we would hand him to the Chitauri in exchange for peace!"

Hogun's face was its usual impassive mask, and his voice was low and soft. "Maybe that was the point. We went so far in our distrust of him that the only way he could gain his freedom was by counting on that distrust. Now he is free of the Chitauri _and _Asgardian justice." Hogun inclined his head. "It was well played."

"If he what he said about the Chitauri was true — and I have to say they didn't seem like the most polite of people — then perhaps he was innocent of treason after all." Fandral didn't look like he enjoyed that thought.

Thor glared at Fandral. "You were not there, Fandral," he said. "You did not see how many were killed."

"And yet Loki was right. Had it not been the Midgardians, had we gained the tesseract… _Asgard _would have been their target."

Thor shook his head, letting out a breath. "Loki may have manipulated our mistrust of him, but this could have been avoided if he had an ounce of trust for _us."_

Hogun didn't look convinced and Sif looked downright murderous.

"He should have died in the abyss," she said.

"He said he wished to," Thor said softly.

The friends left together, leaving the hall for clean up for the remaining guards and servants. As is customary when large groups of people gather, there was debris to be cleared and furniture to be straightened. It took some time for the hall to be made spotless, yet in that time, none of the servants or guards went near the dais that had held the prisoner.

Some time later, the advocate for the prosecution entered and made her way towards the dais that had held the prisoner. She stood, contemplative and silent. The dais had had to be constructed especially — never had a master magician of Loki's calibre been brought before Asgardian justice. They had done the job well. Or so they had thought.

Had someone been watching, it would have been impossible to read her thoughts as the advocate reached out one finger to touch the chains that had held him — the chains that he had freed himself from with barely a blink of effort. A small smile touched her lips

"Sigyn!" A guard entered, one of Odin's lesser emissaries. He nodded to her as she looked up. "Odin requests your presence."

"As you say," the advocate said, standing. She followed him from the room, leaving the chains and the dais as they were.

Loki would call her soon, and she must be ready


End file.
